Bricco dei Tati, Piedmont (Italy) Barbera 2014

I taste this wine almost every year, and though it has always been attractive on account of its very affordable price, the rendition from 2014 shows excellent quality as well.  This could have something to do with the location of the vineyard in the neighborhood of Barbaresco, which was one of very few areas in the northwest of Italy that was spared from soaking rains during the harvest in 2014.  Whatever the reason, the end product shows great varietal and regional character, with medium-body, fruit recalling dried cherries, gentle tannin, fresh acidity, and a subtle rusticity that is very pleasant.  This is a near-perfect pizza wine, but it could also work nicely with all sorts of moderately robust foods.  For eight bucks!